ePassport Validation Roadmap Tool

Proper validation of ePassports at borders is necessary to fully leverage the investments made by States in developing ePassports. Proper ePassport validation at borders contributes to improved border security and safer air travel globally. The benefits of ePassport validation are collective, cumulative and universal; therefore, the broadest possible implementation of ePassport validation is desirable.

Border inspection systems and border services officers play an important role in this verification process, which is critical to successful global ePassport implementation. Therefore, it is important for border officials to have a practical understanding of how these verifications ideally should work at borders, and how the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD) can be valuable in facilitating this verification process.

To better inform border officials on how ePassport digital signatures work, how these signatures can be used by them to detect document fraud when verified against the global public key infrastructure (PKI) using automated border controls, and how membership in the ICAO PKD can facilitate these efforts, an ePassport Validation Roadmap Tool was developed.

The ePassport Validation Roadmap Tool is intended to be a visual, web-based interactive resource offering practical information regarding the process of validation of ePassports by border inspection systems and officers. The tool also offers the opportunity to click down in an interactive way to get more technical information, if desired.